


stay made of lightning

by rumpledlinen



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Summer Camp, Boys Kissing, Friendship, Growing Up, Other, POV Harry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-21
Updated: 2015-02-21
Packaged: 2018-03-14 11:26:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3408863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rumpledlinen/pseuds/rumpledlinen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“So,” Harry says, and grabs both Liam and Zayn around the waists, pulling them in for an awkward three-way hug. After a minute, he feels both Niall and Louis join in, Harry at the center. He grins privately, closing his eyes. </p><p>“Last year together,” Liam says quietly. </p><p>Harry swallows hard. </p><p>“None of that,” Louis says, harsh. “No talking about the end until later, all right?”</p><p>“Yeah,” Liam says, pulling out of the hug. </p><p>*</p><p>or: It's the five boys' last summer together, and Harry's not ready for it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	stay made of lightning

**Author's Note:**

  * For [nostalgicplant](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nostalgicplant/gifts).



> SO. this is a little bit friendship fic and a little bit blurring the lines, as the boys themselves seem to be. there's brief harry/louis mentions but nothing explicit? really, it's just about harry's relationship with the four boys. (i completely intended it to be different, but then this happened and i'm pretty happy with the result, even if it is more snapshots of a summer than anything else.)
> 
> title from girl almighty. obviously, this isn't true.

Harry drops his bags in the cabin he’ll be the counselor of this year. He grins, resting his hands on his hips. “Much better than last year,” he decides. 

Niall walks into his cabin and whistles, tossing a bag of crisps at Harry. “Hey,” he says.

Harry drops his bag and hugs him tight, burying his face against his shoulder. “Missed you!”

“Hey,” Niall says, laughing, hugging him back. “Missed you too. God, have you gotten taller?” He steps back, shaking his head at him. “Stop that. You’re the young one, can’t have you towering over the rest of us.”

Harry finally lets him go, rolling his eyes and continuing to unpack. He takes the crisps off his bed and sets them on the nightstand, making a mental note to hide them before the campers arrive; he doesn’t want to influence them into unhealthy eating habits. 

“Y’got a bigger bed than the rest of us, I think,” Niall says, and sits down on it, bouncing a few times. “Firmer, too.” He winks at him. 

Harry snorts. “That’s because they like me best,” he tells him. “And take off your shoes, don’t want to get the beds dirty before the campers arrive.” 

“They’re gonna get dirty anyway,” Niall says, lying down on the bed, but he puts his feet up on the bedposts. Harry’s as pleased as he can be. “The rest of the boys are here, and we’ve all got our schedules. There’s only one day we can go camping, so long as yours doesn’t conflict.”

Harry’s, impossibly, even more thrilled than he’d thought he’d be at the thought of seeing the other boys. “If it does, I can just have someone else take over for me.” He unpacks his clothes, folding them quickly and putting them into the one drawer they’ve given him. He doesn’t like living out of suitcases. He always likes to be organized, can make anywhere feel like home. 

Niall sighs. “Course you can,” he grumbles. “Ed or something. Hey.” He turns his head. “This is boring. Come on, we’re going to get food, stock up on snacks.” 

And he’ll get to see everyone else. Harry looks at his half-unpacked suitcase, and finally sighs. He grabs his keys and his wallet, fixing his hair in the tiny mirror he’s had time to set up.

“You look fine,” Niall groans, getting up and grabbing him by the wrist, tugging him out of the cabin. “Don’t worry about locking up, no one’s going to steal any of your hair products.” 

Harry rolls his eyes, but he’s grinning. 

Liam and Zayn are talking, Liam telling some story with animated hand gestures, but there’s no Louis. Harry frowns, and he’s about to ask when he’s tackled from behind and there’s a shout of “ _Harry_!” 

Harry grins, catching Louis’ legs, that are wrapped around his middle. “Hey,” he says, turning to smile at him as much as he can. He can feel Louis’ stubble scratching at his neck and he groans, turning away from him. “Stop that.” 

Louis laughs. “What?” 

“Rubbing your beard against me,” he says.

Louis snickers, because Louis is still _twelve_. 

Harry rolls his eyes. 

“Oi,” Niall calls, waving them over. “Before the middle of the night, please, there’s a party I want to go to.” 

“Of course there is,” Louis says, but he hops off Harry’s back, turning to look behind him. “Race you!” he says, laughing and taking off. 

“They’re _right there_!” Harry calls back, but he obediently takes off after him. Right before they get to the boys, he slows down a second; Louis has a tendency to stop talking to people when they’ve beat him at something and he doesn’t want that this early in the summer. 

“So,” Harry says, and grabs both Liam and Zayn around the waists, pulling them in for an awkward three-way hug. After a minute, he feels both Niall and Louis join in, Harry at the center. He grins privately, closing his eyes. 

“Last year,” Liam says quietly. 

Harry swallows hard. 

“None of that,” Louis says, harsh. “No talking about the end until later, all right?”

“Yeah,” Liam says, pulling out of the hug. He looks down at the ground. "Where are we going?” 

Louis rolls his eyes, and pushes past Harry to hug him, going up on his toes so he can throw his arms around his neck. “Stop that,” Harry can hear him mumble, and then something else. 

Liam flails for a second but puts his hands on Louis’ waist. “Yeah,” he says. 

“Come on,” Harry mumbles, grabbing Liam’s hand and tugging. 

Liam stiffens at first, but he relaxes, letting Harry lace their fingers together. “Lead the way,” he says. 

“Uh,” Harry says. “No, one of you lead the way. I don’t know where we’re going.” He looks at Niall expectantly.

“You’ve been coming here since you were _eight_ and you still don’t know?” Niall grumbles, but he nods his head toward the parking lot. “Come on, I’ve got a car.” 

“I’ve got music!” Louis shouts, running ahead to get to the front seat first. “Come on, come on.” He pulls at the door handle a bunch of times, waiting for Niall.

“Keep your pants on,” Niall says, rolling his eyes and unlocking the car. Harry, Liam, and Zayn pile into the back, Harry sitting in the middle, feet up on the console in the middle. 

“Hey,” Niall says, looking at them pointedly. 

“You wouldn’t get your feet off the bed,” Harry reminds him. “Come on! It’s getting late and I’m _hungry_ ,” he whines. 

“You’re always hungry,” Liam tells him. 

Harry nods, leaning his head on his shoulder and closing his eyes. “I’m a growing boy.”

“Apparently,” Zayn says from next to him. “When are you gonna stop? Before you reach house-height?” 

Harry rolls his eyes. “Shut up,” he says, nudging his leg. 

Zayn laughs, quiet. 

After a second, Liam tentatively puts an arm around him. 

Harry nods. “Good,” he says quietly, kissing his shoulder in thanks. 

Liam nods; Harry can feel it. 

He dozes on the way into town. The thing about being in such a beautiful place is that there’s no civilization closer than thirty minutes away, and he’s always been good at sleeping. 

“Hey,” Liam says when they get there. He squeezes his shoulder. “Wake up, Harry.” 

Harry yawns when he sits up, cracking his back and stepping out of the car. He fixes his hair again, stifling another yawn. “Shit,” he says.

“Language,” Louis says primly. “You gonna talk like that around the campers?”

Harry kicks at his ankle. “Shove off,” he grumbles. 

“Aw, Harry,” Louis says, throwing his arm around his shoulder and tugging him in. “I know you’re young but you have to be a good influence on them.”

Harry raises an eyebrow. “You nearly got kicked out last summer for throwing a party.”

“I did throw a party, yes.”

“For the campers.” 

He shrugs. “They needed a way to cool down.” 

Harry sighs, feeling the familiar fondness mixed with irritation that he’s always felt with Louis. 

They head into the little market, and Louis pulls away. Harry watches him walk away, grinning a little bit. 

*

“Harry!” comes a small shout.

Harry turns around and sees a little blonde kid, from his cabin last year. “Ryan!” he says, and bends down, hugging him. “You’re even _bigger_ than last year!”

Ryan grins and nods, bouncing with how excited he is. “Yeah!”

“So,” Harry says, taking his hand and walking into the cabin with him. “Tell me everything about your year!” 

As the day goes on, everyone trickles into the cabin. By the end of the night, Harry’s set up a bonfire for them, and the campers from the rest of the camp come by. 

Harry sits next to Zayn and Liam, with Niall and Louis on another seat, next to one another. 

Harry smiles and links his arm with Zayn’s, closing his eyes. “This is gonna be a great summer,” he says softly. 

“Yeah,” Zayn says. “Best one yet.” 

Harry sighs and settles in, listening to the sound of the fire and, in the distance, the waves crashing. 

*

Harry’s supervising the campers while they swim, feet dangling in the water. He leans back in the sun, closing his eyes for a second and just enjoying the warmth. It’s nice being here; it gets warmer than it ever does in Cheshire. 

A shadow falls over him and he squints, looking at whoever it is. 

“Hey,” Zayn says. 

Harry grins, blinking him into focus. “Hi.” He nods at the water. “Want to get in?” He’s teasing, a little bit, and he’s sure to keep his voice light. 

Zayn groans. “I can go help Lou with arts and crafts, if you’d rather.”

“Nah,” Harry says, lying down flat, hands on his stomach. Zayn stays sitting, watching the kids. “What happened to guitar lessons?” 

“Oh, I decided to let them sit in on rehearsal for another group. They all like that better, anyway.” He sighs. 

“Why?” Harry asks quietly. 

“Didn’t I tell you about the group I’ve got?”

He shakes his head. 

“Oh. Well -- most of them are a group of girls, you know the ones, they’re like… if we’d all been in the same cabin when we were first here.”

Harry nods. “Yeah. Lea and them.” 

“Mmm,” Zayn hums. “Anyway, they decided to take it together but they just end up chattering the whole time.”

“And you let them?”

Zayn shrugs. “It’s my last year. I figure, let them have their fun.” He sounds sad, almost, a little bit of mourning seeping into his voice. 

Harry frowns. “We’ll see each other after here, you know that?” he asks. 

Zayn rolls his eyes. “Yeah. All of us going to different schools. We’re not even studying anything remotely similar. No reason for us to see each other.”

“Well -- except that we’re friends,” Harry says. He sits up, frowning at him. “You really think this is it?”

Zayn shrugs. “I mean. Why not?”

“Because I’ve known you guys for nine years?” he offers. “I know Lou’s planning on seeing us, anyway.”

Zayn gives him a look. “All right, Haz.” 

Suddenly, Harry feels completely overwhelmed. The thought hasn’t ever occurred to him; he’s never considered the possibility that they might _stop_ seeing one another after it’s all said and done. That they might not want to see him anymore. 

“Hey,” Zayn says. “I don’t mean -- like. It’s not that I don’t want to.”

“Right,” Harry says. He pulls his feet out of the water, knees up to his chest. “Sophie!” he calls. “Stop splashing her.” He can feel Zayn looking at him, but he doesn’t look over, doesn’t think he can. 

“Harry,” Zayn says. 

Harry finally looks at him. “I’ve always thought of you guys as some of my best friends,” he says. “I mean. Is it just me?”

“No,” Zayn murmurs, shaking his head. “Of course not.”

“And if we are that close, we have to keep seeing each other at least once a year,” he insists. 

Zayn watches him for a second, and finally nods. “Yeah,” he says. “Yeah, okay. We can do that.”

Harry narrows his eyes. “Are you just placating me?” he asks. 

Zayn doesn’t answer. 

“I think maybe you should’ve just gone and helped Louis,” Harry mumbles, resting his chin on his knee. 

Zayn works his mouth a few times. “Right,” he finally says. He stands up. “Fine.” 

Harry sighs, and watches the campers, trying very hard not to think about it, about never seeing any of them again. 

*

Harry’s teaching a little girl, Emily, how to ride a horse -- “nice and easy,” he tells her softly -- and he barely manages to take a step back before the horse takes off and manages to hit him, knocking him flat on his back. 

Harry groans and rubs at his eyes, blinking a few times. 

“Harry!” Emily calls. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” he says, sitting up and shaking his head a little bit. “I just -- Niall!” 

Niall turns around where he’s been helping someone else. “What -- oh, shit,” he says. 

“Language,” Harry mumbles. He stands up. “I’m gonna go to the nurse’s office, yeah? Can you take care of them?”

“Yeah,” Niall calls, frowning. “Did you get hit by the horse?”

Harry doesn’t answer for a second. “Yeah, I did,” he finally admits. 

Niall rolls his eyes, and Harry grins as he makes his way across the camp. 

*

“So how are you?” Niall asks, when Harry’s made his way back. “Not going to die on us, I hope?”

“Nah. Not nearly so bad as the football injury,” he says. “She just gave me some painkillers, told me to take it easy. I’m not allowed to go on the hike tomorrow,” he pouts.

“Aww,” Niall teases, pinching his cheek. “Poor Haz.” 

“It’s _annoying_ ,” he sighs dramatically.

“You did get hit by a horse,” Niall says in what he probably doesn’t realize is so mocking a tone. “I mean. I’d be worried about you too. Am worried, actually.”

“You are?” Harry asks, grinning. “Well. That’s good to know.” 

Niall rolls his eyes. “But I’m not going to start doing things for you, so don’t take it too much to heart.” 

“I’ll get you to,” Harry says very seriously. “I’m good at that.”

“It’s only because of your curls,” Niall shrugs, “and I’m all but immune to those.”

Harry giggles and shakes his head. 

*

“Who was your first crush?” Louis asks, when it’s just the two of them on a hike on one of their days off. 

Harry hums, thinking about it. He realizes his answer and he goes red, looking down at his feet. He grins. “You’re gonna laugh.”

“Probably,” Louis allows. He stops, turning to face him and sitting down on a rock. He pats the space next to him, stretching his legs out in front of him. 

Harry sits down. “You,” he admits quietly. “I think you were my first crush.”

Louis looks at him, surprised. “Yeah?”

Harry nods, keeping his eyes forward. “Yeah,” he says. 

Louis pauses. “How long, then? Until you stopped?”

Harry opens his mouth, but doesn’t answer for a second. _I didn’t_ , he thinks, but he doesn’t say it. “I don’t know,” he murmurs. “A while.” 

Louis nods, and takes his hand. 

“You’re not making fun of me,” Harry points out. 

“If I did you might start crying,” Louis says. 

It’s sensible, but -- “Hasn’t ever stopped you before,” Harry tells him matter-of-factly. 

Louis snorts. “True.” He pauses. “Me, too, you know.”

Harry grins. “You had a crush on me, too?” 

Louis nods. “All of you boys, really, but yeah. You.” 

“Well,” Harry says, stupidly smug. “Good to know. Wish I could go back in time and tell tiny Harry not to feel so guilty about it.”

Louis laughs, a little breathy. “Yeah,” he murmurs. “Me, too.”

Harry pauses a second. “So I was talking to Zayn,” he says. 

“Yeah?”

“And he said he didn’t think we’d see each other after this.” 

Louis is quiet for a second.

Harry twists his mouth. “Do you -- I -- I mean, do you agree?”

“Nah,” Louis says. “We can always at least do a meet-up or something. Once a year, you know.”

“Just like now,” Harry says.

“Exactly. Just like now.” 

“Good,” Harry says.

Louis snorts. “That explains why he’s been so grumpy the past few days.”

“Has he been?” Harry smiles. 

Louis nods. “You know how he is. Hates when the two of you fight.”

“Hates when he fights with anyone.”

“You more than most.”

“Don’t know if he _wants_ to see me,” Harry sighs. “After this. That’s what sucks. I love you guys, you know? And. I don’t know.”

Louis nods. “I know, Haz.”

He sighs, standing up and nodding toward the path. “Want to keep going?” he asks. 

Louis nods, but he stays where he is for a minute. “Was I really your first crush?”

Harry rolls his eyes, blushing again. “Yeah. You were.”

Louis smiles. “Good.” 

Harry turns around, hiding his smile, and keeps walking. After a minute, Louis catches up to him. 

*

Harry’s half-asleep when there’s a knock on his cabin door. 

He blinks himself awake, and looks around the room. All the campers are in their beds, and he’s about ready to fall asleep when there’s another knock. 

He gets up, tugging a hoodie on, and goes to the door. 

“Hey,” Liam says quietly. “Can I talk to you about something?” 

Harry looks behind him. “I’m not supposed to leave,” he says. 

Liam shifts nervously. “I know,” he murmurs. “But -- can I? Please?”

Harry sighs and nods, pulling the door shut behind him. He shivers in the cool night air. 

“I’m not going to uni,” Liam says as they’re walking. 

Harry hums. “Ever, or just now?”

“Ever, I think. I want -- I think I’d like to be a mechanic,” he says slowly. 

Harry nods. “Okay,” he says. 

“Yeah?” Liam lets out a small relieved sigh.

“Of course,” Harry says. “It’s just important that you’re gonna be happy, you know? Cheesy as it sounds.” 

Liam laughs. “Thanks,” he hums. 

“Yeah,” Harry says on a breath. He puts an arm around Liam’s waist, and then they’re walking together, in unison. 

“This way I can move out sooner too, you know?” he asks when it’s been quiet for a little while. “Figure out what I want to do with myself.”

“Yeah. And that’s what’s important,” Harry murmurs. 

Liam nods. “So -- I know we’re not talking about the future, or whatever, but what is it you want to do?”

Harry goes pink. “You’re going to laugh at me.”

“Am I Louis?” Liam asks. 

“Right.” Harry nods. He bites his lip. “Well. I want to like -- music. I want to be a musician.”

Liam smiles at him. “That’s great, Haz. Really.”

“Yeah,” Harry says, looking down. “I’m. It’s what I’ve always wanted to do, you know? And I’m going to go to school, I think, but -- that’s what I want to do.” 

“You should,” Liam says. “And let us all know how it goes, okay? Like when you end up with gigs and stuff. We’ll come, support you.” 

Harry hugs him tight, closing his eyes. “I will, yeah.”

“And when you get famous, it’ll be awesome for us, because we’ll get free tickets to your show,” Liam teases. 

Harry rolls his eyes. “Little bit presumptuous, aren’t you?” he murmurs, still hugging him.

Liam snorts. “It’s true, isn’t it?” He almost sounds nervous.

“Of course it is,” Harry says, rolling his eyes. “Come on.” 

Liam relaxes. “Okay. Good.”

Harry steps away. “I should really get back to my cabin. So should you.”

“Oh, mine and Louis’ campers are doing a sleepover thing. He said he’d keep an eye on them.”

Harry raises an eyebrow. “Think you’d better get back even more, then.”

Liam laughs. “You’re right.” 

They head back to the cabins. When they get to Liam’s, he turns around, giving Harry a long look. “One more week,” he says quietly.

Harry shakes his head. “Don’t,” he says, soft and pleading. “I don’t want to cry.”

“Not until Sunday night?” 

“Yeah.” 

“Okay,” Liam says quietly, and he heads back inside. 

Harry stares at the door for a second and then goes back to his own cabin.

None of the campers have woken up, it seems, and he slips into bed quietly, curling up on the sheets. 

*

On Sunday morning, Harry wakes up bright and early. He grabs his bag that’s been packed since they found out when they could take their trip and heads outside, cracking his back and looking up at the sky. He drops his bag at his feet and sits down on it, rubbing his hands together. He’s got on a hoodie and trackies, but it’s a crisp morning. 

Because it’s the end of summer, he realizes with a small pang. He looks down at his feet, feeling impossibly sad. 

“Hey,” Zayn says. 

Harry looks up at him. “Hi.” 

Zayn bites his lip, shuffling his feet a little before he sits down directly on the ground, leaning back on his arms. “I’ve missed you,” he says. 

Harry nods, feeling a bit awkward. “I -- yeah. Me, too,” he says quietly. 

Zayn pauses. “I talked to Louis. And Liam.” 

“I didn’t say anything about it to Liam.”

“But still.” He nudges Harry’s foot. “I didn’t want to make it sound like I didn’t want to see you anymore. Any of you.”

Harry nods. “You sure?”

“Of course.” 

Relief floods through him. “Liam says if I ever have a gig he’ll try and make it. All of you, really.”

Zayn grins. “Course we will. And it’s _when_ , not if.”

Harry grins, closing his eyes and tilting his head back. “Thanks,” he says quietly.

Zayn just nods. 

Over the next few minutes, the other boys show up and Harry stands, looking between them all. “So,” he says quietly.

“Last camping trip, all of us,” Liam says. 

Harry nods. “I don’t,” he starts. 

“We know,” Louis says. “It’s -- weird, but -- we can do it. We’ll make it.”

“Course we will,” Zayn says with an easy confidence Harry’s never heard from him. “Best friends, yeah?”

*

The hike to the place where they’re going to be camping is quiet. Harry has a million and one things he wants to say, memories he wants to talk about. These boys have known him since he was little, since he was small and shy and never wanted to leave his mum until -- now. Beyond, he hopes, but ever since Zayn said something he hasn’t been able to stop thinking about it. What if they don’t want to know him, when it’s all said and done? 

“Stop thinking so much,” Niall tells him, quiet enough the rest of the boys can’t hear it. “It’ll all be okay, yeah?”

Harry nods, jerky. “Promise?”

“Of course. Now come on, it’s hot and I want to eat.”

Harry grins and speeds up, just a little. 

*

“When I was thirteen,” Louis says. “That was the best summer.”

Harry snorts. “You ended up in hospital because a stingray stung you.”

“I know,” Louis says primly. “And I got to skip all of the horrible parts and get waited on hand and foot. Really, it was glorious.” 

Zayn rolls his eyes and grabs another marshmallow out of the bag, spearing it and holding it over the fire. “You’re an idiot.” 

“Well, what about you, then?” Louis asks. “What was your favorite summer if you’re so _smart_?”

Zayn hums, clearly considering it. He finishes toasting his marshmallow and hands it to Liam, who grins. He has a habit of burning them, and so the rest of them have learned to just give him theirs so he doesn’t freak out. 

“I think this one,” Zayn says. 

Louis snorts. “Smart thinking.” 

“I’m being serious! It’s been nice, you know? Relaxed. I’m not as worried. I’m starting uni next year. I’ve just, like.” He waves a hand around. “Appreciated it a lot more than I used to.” He catches eyes with Harry and looks away, clearly nervous. 

“I don’t have a favorite,” Harry says. “I know my least favorite, though. When you all got hired and I was still a camper.” He wrinkles his nose.

Louis laughs, bright. “That was a good year.”

“It was not! I’m not that much younger than you,” he grumbles, pushing him away when he leans over for a hug. “And it just didn’t seem fair. Still doesn’t.”

“Awww,” Louis says, kissing his cheek with a loud smack. “Poor Haz.”

“Shove off,” Harry grumbles. “That’s why I like Nick. He’s older -- like, a lot older -- but he doesn’t act like I’m. I don’t know. Super young.” 

“You’re not, really,” Niall says. “Only a bit younger than me, aren’t you? Think it’s Lou that’s old.”

Louis scoffs. “I’ll never be old. You lot are going to get ancient but I’m gonna be young forever.”

Harry rolls his eyes, but he can’t help a little smile. “Fair enough.” He leans his head on Louis’ shoulder, closing his eyes. 

“Are you gonna come back next year?” Zayn asks. 

It’s clearly directed at Harry and he hums for a second, considering it. “Nah,” he finally says. “I’m not -- it wasn’t about the kids. Came here to see you guys, yeah?”

The rest of them fall silent. Harry has a second to feel dumb, but -- it’s the truth, it’s how he’s always felt. His boys -- because they are, really -- were always the ones keeping him here.

Liam’s the one to break it. “Me, too,” he says. “I get it.” 

Harry lets out a sigh of relief. “Good,” he murmurs. 

They sit in a circle around the fire, lapsing into silence again. 

“Hey,” Louis says quietly. “Come here.”

Harry looks over at him and then scoots over so that they’re next to one another. “What?” he asks. 

Louis swallows hard and rests a hand on Harry’s cheek. “I lied a little bit, that one day,” he murmurs. 

Harry raises an eyebrow. “What do you mean?” he asks, just as softly. 

“Like. I didn’t really -- stop. With the crush,” Louis says. 

Harry’s eyes widen a bit. 

“I mean -- everyone, but also you, you know?” Louis asks. 

Harry nods slowly. “I do know, yeah,” he says, and leans forward, kissing him softly.

Louis smiles into it, running his hand down to squeeze his shoulder, kissing him back. 

“Hey,” Niall says. “Wait, are you -- fuck, you’re _kissing_. Without me?”

Harry’s heart pounds. 

“Come over here, then,” Louis says easily. “Kiss Haz, if you really want to.”

Niall snorts, crawling over to the two of them. “I guess I do,” he says, smiling at Harry. 

He immediately blushes; it’s not a good look. 

Niall’s on his knees when he finally kisses him. It’s awkward and strange; Harry’s never kissed someone enthusiastically enough that their teeth click together, but there’s a first time for everything. They figure it out, anyway, and Harry’s smiling when Niall pulls back. 

“Okay,” Niall says. “This is weird unless we get Liam and Zayn in on it too?” 

“Unless?” Harry asks with a raised eyebrow, but Louis kisses him quiet. He supposes it’s an acceptable interruption. He looks over at Liam, who’s staring at them almost nervously. “Come here,” Harry tells him. 

“You want me to?”

He nods. By this point, Niall and Louis are cuddling with one another, next to him. “I’m cold,” he teases, holding an arm out. 

Liam comes over to him, and he’s shaking, a little, when he sits down. “Okay,” he says, laughing. “I’ve never -- shit, this is weird.”

Harry laughs and nods, kissing him back. “It’s not like it’s an orgy, Liam, come on.” 

He can actually _feel_ how bright red Liam blushes. It’s adorable. “Harry!”

“Yeah, we’re saving that for our one-year meet-up,” Louis says from next to him. 

It’s -- okay, Harry knows Louis doesn’t really mean it like that, but the thought that he might is enough to make him go hot. He swallows and kisses Liam again, a little more firmly. 

Liam kisses him slow, thorough. It’s different and it’s heady and Harry sinks into it, hand on his leg, sighing. 

When he finally pulls back, a little too lightheaded to be comfortable, Zayn’s kissing Louis, knees on either side of him. 

In for a penny, Harry thinks; he might as well ride this out while it lasts. He pouts. “Hey. Come here,” he says. 

Liam snorts. “Am I not good enough for you?”

“I like to know my options,” Harry says easily, kissing him again, quick, smiling. 

“Come here, because I’m not moving,” Zayn says. 

Harry rolls his eyes but goes over, leaning up and kissing him, one hand on Louis’ leg and one on Zayn’s back. He kisses his cheek first and then his mouth, laughing a little. 

“This is weird,” Zayn tells him. 

Harry nods. “Very weird.” 

Zayn sighs into another kiss, pulling him close enough that Harry almost falls over. “Careful,” he murmurs. 

Harry smiles.

They spend the rest of the night like that. When the fire dies down they all pile into one tent -- they’d brought two, though none of them are sure why -- and Harry falls asleep with his mouth against Louis’ shoulder and Liam’s arm around him. 

“Thank you,” he whispers, just before he passes out.

Louis hums in response. 

*

Harry’s the first one to leave. 

They stand in his empty cabin, looking around at one another. “So,” Harry says, and he tries his best not to cry.

“Don’t,” Liam says sternly. “I’m gonna text you immediately after you leave, all right? And we’ll set up a time to skype, the five of us.”

Harry nods. “Yeah,” he says, swallowing hard. 

“No one’s gonna forget about you, yeah? We’re still gonna see each other. At least once a year,” Zayn tells him. 

Harry grins. “Yeah, yeah,” he sighs. 

He looks out the window and sees his mum walking up the path with Gemma. He gathers the boys into a hug, and they pile around him. If he lets a few tears slip out, Niall’s the only one to feel them and he doesn’t say anything. 

He gets a last kiss from each of them, and pulls away, clearing his throat so he doesn’t cry. “I love you guys,” he says, chewing on the inside of his cheek. 

“You, too,” Liam says quietly.

He nods, picking up his bag and backpack, wiping at his eyes. “Bye,” he murmurs, and gets a similar response from each of them. 

As soon as he’s in the car, he gets a text. 

_Liam_ 15:48

_We miss you already._

Harry grins at it for a minute before he replies, chest feeling a little less tight. 

They're going to make it.


End file.
